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Based on comments from many posters on this forum, I considered trading in our 2019 Tundra tow vehicle for a 3/4 ton Dodge, Chevy or Ford pickup. But, after much research, and bargaining with local dealers, I concluded that 3/4 ton truck prices are still too high for our budget, even given the high prices being offered for Tundra trade-ins. The much lower reliability ratings for the Dodge, Chevy and Ford offerings, compared to Tundras, also weighed heavily in our judgment. So, I determined to make our 2019 Tundra 5.7L V8, with tow package, a more capable tow vehicle, to the extent reasonable. I found comments on Tundra forums suggesting that towing performance, particularly "jounce," would be somewhat improved by the addition of rear air bags/helper springs. Some posters on this forum have already installed them, so I decided to take the plunge. The rear air bags are now installed. As advised by posters on this forum, the air bags are presently set at about 25 PSI. Our next 4-day camping adventure, starting tomorrow, will provide a good opportunity to determine if the towing experience feels any different than before airbag installation. But one difference became quite noticeable when I hooked up the trailer: the rear of the Tundra sat higher, causing the trailer to sit "nose up" when hitched. Because I am compulsive about towing with my trailers as level as possible, I switched the Andersen WD hitch mount from the "up" position (where the ball assembly had been bolted in the lowest position) to the "down" position, with the ball assembly bolted into the top position. Because of the design of the Andersen hitch mount, this resulted in the trailer coupler sitting about 1.5" lower than before. As you can see from the photos below, the trailer once again sits close to level when hitched. The first ("before") photo was taken last April. The second ("after") photo was taken today. Note that in the April photo, the rear truck fender well clearance is less than the front fender well clearance. In the August photo, rear fender well clearance is actually greater than front fender well clearance. So, the airbags are, indeed, preventing "squat" with the trailer attached. Notably, our Tundra came from the factory with rear fender well clearance about 1-1/2" higher than front fender well clearance (37"--front; 38-1/2" rear). I wondered if this was designed to compensate for "squat" when towing a trailer? With the air bags now installed, the truck fender well clearances, with the trailer attached, are the same as the factory clearances with no trailer: 37" front, 38-1/2" rear. I will report our observations of any difference in trailer handling after we return home this weekend. Hope this helps someone choosing to install airbags/helper springs on a Tundra.

From late May to mid-June my wife and I took a loop trip from our home in Dallas, TX to: Greenville, SC; Asheville, NC; Asheboro & Seagrove, NC and back to Dallas. The trip covered approximately 1900 miles, with significant temperature variation. During the trip we experienced erratic performance by the Norcold Model 412 refrigerator, standard equipment in our 2022 Oliver Legacy Elite II trailer. The refrigerator would not maintain food safe temperatures in either compartment, except when operating on AC current. This problem occurred mostly on the second half of the trip, as daytime temperatures exceeded 90 degrees (F). Especially when in transit, operating on propane or DC current, the refrigerator temperature would climb to approximately 60 degrees and the freezer into the mid 20s. We contacted Oliver Service and made an appointment to have the refrigerator problem assessed in Hohenwald. We later decided not to divert from our trip plans and to deal with the problem when we returned home. Upon our return home to Dallas, TX, on June 20, I began a series of tests with the trailer parked in our driveway. To monitor the temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer, I used an AcuRite Digital Wireless Fridge and Freezer Thermometer, which we had purchased to monitor the Norcold refrigerator and had been using since September, 2022. I also used an Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 1080 to compare readings with the Acurite thermometer. The AcuRite and Etekcity thermometer readings agreed closely. With the refrigerator empty, I recorded the time required to go from ambient temperature to food safe temperatures using AC, DC or propane. Using AC, the refrigerator/freezer would reach food safe temperatures in 6-7 hours (low 40s F for the refrigerator; 0 degrees F for the freezer) with ambient temperatures ranging from 87 to 99 degrees F. Once achieved, when on AC, the temperatures on both compartments would hold in a food safe range. Conducting the same test on propane, the refrigerator and freezer would reach only 62 degrees and 19 degrees F, respectively after more than 12 hours of operation. This test also was done while ambient temperatures ranged from 87 to 99 degrees F. Similar results were observed while operating the refrigerator on DC. I again contacted Oliver Service and was recommended to take the trailer to an authorized Norcold service provider. Blue Moon Mobile RV (Blue Moon) was determined to be the closest available Norcold service provider. I arranged an appointment to bring the trailer to Blue Moon for troubleshooting of the refrigerator. Technicians at Blue Moon confirmed my observations of the behavior of the refrigerator. They also confirmed the cooling function was working properly, since proper temperatures were achieved when operating on AC. They also confirmed the single, small fan located at the rear of the refrigerator was operational, but providing insufficient air flow for the refrigerator to operate properly when ambient temperatures were high. Blue Moon conferred with Norcold technical support on their findings. Blue Moon and Norcold recommended additional fans be installed to dissipate warm air behind the refrigerator. Having anticipated installing additional fans, I had done online research and chose a dual fan assembly from Beech Lane 12V RV Fridge Ventilation Cooling Fan 5.5" (140mm). These fans come with a remote control with which fan speeds and threshold temperature may be set manually or automatically. These fans were installed by Blue Moon in the upper vent opening of our LEII. The 12VDC power supply to the refrigerator was also used to power the fans. The remote control was mounted to the cover over the refrigerator circuit board using double sided tape. The excess length cables provided with the fans were bundled with zip ties and secured nearby, as shown below. Blue Moon tested the operation of the refrigerator following the installation of the Beech Lane fans and reported food safe temperatures were being achieved and held, with high ambient temperatures. On July 19 I picked up our trailer from Blue Moon and returned home to repeat my prior tests to compare results running the refrigerator on propane and on DC. The trailer was parked in the same location in our driveway as previously. After installation of the ventilation fans, using propane, the refrigerator and freezer compartments achieved safe food temperatures in approximately 8 hours, with the refrigerator control set to 7, despite ambient temperatures ranging from 93 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Once safe food temperatures were achieved the refrigerator control setting was reduced from 7 to 6 and allowed to run overnight. The following morning both the refrigerator and freezer had slightly warmer temperatures, but still satisfactory for safe food storage. We have not yet had an opportunity to utilize the Norcold refrigerator on a trip to observe how effectively safe food temperatures are maintained when full of food and under changing environmental conditions using the three power sources. Based on the test results using the ventilation fans, I expect the performance of the refrigerator to be significantly improved. We should now be able to use DC to power the Norcold refrigerator when in transit, and avoid the use of propane. Performance running on DC appears to be similar to running on propane. While I was pleased with the significant improvement in the operating temperatures achieved by the Norcold refrigerator, there were three aspects of the installation I chose to change, all related to access to the remote control: The remote control for the Beech Lane fans has very bright blue LEDs which are ON whenever 12VDC power is ON. At night, we noticed a bright blue glow emanating from the lower refrigerator external vent cover. Accessing the remote control to change settings required removing the refrigerator external vent cover. When we store the trailer we typically turn OFF all DC power by turning OFF our lithium batteries. Upon the next use of the trailer, when DC power is restored, the refrigerator ventilation fans must also be turned ON manually. There was no switch to turn OFF DC power to the remote control. To address these issues, I relocated the Beech Lans fan remote control to the interior of the trailer and installed a switch on the control panel located at the entry to the trailer. I chose to have the remote control inside the access hatch in the storage cabinet located over the microwave oven, directly above the Norcold refrigerator. To re-route the cables to the ventilation fans, I had to remove the microwave oven. To install a new switch in the control paneI I had to loosen the panel from the wall. I had to add approximately 10 feet of 20 AWG twisted pair cable (gray) to reach from the new switch on the control panel to the 12VDC power supply at the bottom rear of the refrigerator. The photo below shows the routing of the remote control wires (black) and 12VDC power supply behind the microwave cabinet. I had to drill a ~3/8" hole in the angled MDF panel behind the microwave cabinet, directly above the refrigerator. I caulked around the cables after routing them through the hole and behind the refrigerator. Fishing the wires into the area behind the control panel was not difficult. The yellow Romex appearing at the top of the photo below supplies the AC outlet for the microwave oven. I contacted Oliver Service and ordered a single pole switch (with blue light) to match the others in the trailer control panel. The cost was slightly over $7, including shipping by first class mail. The new switch was installed in an unused location on the control panel which previously had a blank cover. I added crimp on spade type connectors to the twisted pair cable to connect to the terminals on the new switch. Although the new switch is single pole, there are three terminals on the rear with the wiring connections listed below: Ground (dissimilar color) DC Power IN (center) Switched DC Power Out I found the wiring diagram below which shows an analogous circuit. The switch and the ventilation fan remote control both require a ground connection. The Switched DC power terminal is connected to the DC+ power connection for the ventilation fan remote control. The new switch needs a ground connection in order for the blue light to operate indicating the switch is ON. In the diagram a car battery is shown as the 12VDC source. On the trailer, the 12VDC source is located at the bottom rear of the refrigerator. This DC circuit is already fused at the DC power panel located below the rear dinette seat. I chose to locate the Beech Lane fan remote control behind the access panel in the storage cabinet above the microwave oven. I made this choice to avoid having the bright blue LED lights on the remote control illuminating the interior of the trailer. The access panel is easily removed when there is a need to access the remote control, to turn ON the ventilation fans, or to change the fan speed or threshold temperature. The Beech Lane ventilation fans are very quiet. With the auxiliary fans running, the volume of air exiting the top exterior vent is noticeably greater than with the small, single OEM fan mounted to the rear of the refrigerator. We have not yet tried sleeping in the trailer with these fans running. There is no chance of hearing the fans inside the trailer with the Dometic A/C running. They are not noticeable when they are running unless you are standing close to the upper exterior vent. I recommend these fans to anyone having similar difficulty maintaining food safe temperatures in the refrigerator when ambient temperatures are high. Regards, Don

I can certainly understand Oliver's take on this. It’s incredibly difficult to troubleshoot owners problems over the phone / text / email without actually getting your own eyes and hands on the issue, this takes considerable time all of which is uncompensated. In addition customers may be pressed for time, unable to make repairs, or unable to make the trek in some cases thousands of miles to get service at the factory. Oliver is trying to address both of these issues. The issue that I have is that there aren’t any dealerships in my area that I would trust to work on our Olly so if something major happens I’ll make the trip, if possible, to the factory. This would be a good opportunity for some young entrepreneurs with skills and a van to form a close relationship with Oliver, get trained, vetted, and certified, and head out on the road.

Me too. So far, my choice has worked out about as well as I had hoped. Our Elite II has not been trouble free, but the persistent help I have received from the Service Department, which has enabled me to address all issues so far, has been far superior to what is reported on the Airstream forums.

I like this idea 🙂 Apparently the guys at CGI detailing liked the idea too and are making the most out of it. Starting this Labor Day CGI will be here in North Carolina making Olivers shiny and bright. Bill

That is a handsome looking combo you have there. 😃 Have Firestone airbags on my Tundra as well, also set at 25 lbs. Reduced jouncing a lot. I think you will like the way the rig rides now.

It's a good idea to let wax cure at least 8 to 24 hours between coats. Good job!

Concur, 100%. Oliver-owned regional sales/service centers that have employees trained by the OTT Corporate/Factory Team that can deliver "remote Hohenwald-level" customer satisfaction would establish the brand nationally, IMO. We've had nothing but frustration and heartache over the years anytime we've had an RV dealership "touch" our previous travel trailers.

I like this idea :)

Like many others here, I don't have a dog in this hunt as I already have my Oliver and do my own maintenance. I wish Oliver the best with this change as avoidance of "slick" dealers was a big deciding factor in making my initial purchase directly from Oliver.

A couple of years ago - Oliver asked (here on the Forum) members (family) to let them know about any RV dealership with whom they have had a good experience. I know that several of these dealerships have been referred to Oliver. Perhaps this was the beginning of the identification process. Bill

Good luck to all of you located in Florida, Georgia and South/North Carolina. Please be safe! Bill

My wife and I had a discussion a while back about upcoming travel that will take us across seasons and holidays. She asked that I figure out a way to have seasonal lights in the dinette window that can be changed with the season or holiday. Our original solution was just a simple set of white lights that we plugged in below the dinette window. I've found a solution that's made her very happy and add's color and both manual and bluetooth control. Here's the we've been using. (See Link near bottom of this article for Amazon item.) The strip of LED lights are controlled either by the switches in the cord or via the bluetooth connected phone app. The flat ribbon is a perfect fit on the back side of the Oliver window frames, and don't interfere with attaching or detaching the window frames. I would suggest getting the phone app, and then testing the light string before installation. Once you see that the lights are working then prep for the install by unplugging the controls from the light string. Installation on the rear of the Oliver Window Frame Remove window frame - Tug across the top of the window frame detaching the 3 clips that hold the window frame to the wall. Do the same across the bottom of the frame. Lay the window face down on the dinette table so back is facing up and clean the flat surfaces on the back edges of the frame with alcohol. Align the connector for the ribbon so that the connector from controller can reach to the AC power outlet just below the dinette. We attached the light controller button to the bathroom side of the dinette table next to the wall. Peel and stick down the light ribbon completely around the frame ( Note: take care at corners to gently fold the ribbon back on itself while avoiding having the LED's right on the corner bend.) As you finish sticking down the strip, cut the ribbon light at the closest "cut joint" to the starting end. (there may be 1-2 inch gap or slight overlap. Plug in and test lights while the unit is still on the table...once it's working move on. Re-attach the frame to the window by aligning the top 3 tabs and tapping the frame in place, then repeat on the bottom 3 tabs. Plug in the unit and have fun choosing different colors per season or holiday. I've added the item to our on Amazon for those interested. Craig & Rose Hull 505 - Galway Girl

I’m throwing this in just to make sure everyone understands that there is NOTHING you can add to a vehicle that will increase its cargo or towing capacity. Not air bags, springs or anything else.

Don’t stress out over a non-issue, these LE2 trailers tow perfectly well with light tongues. as long as your suspension is tight and your tires are in good shape and inflated, nothing bad will happen. The Aussies run their caravans with very light TW. The 10-12% is a USA rule of thumb for SOB stick and staple trailers with boxey, rickety bodies, sagging worn-out suspensions, feeble frames and bald tires. One configuration of “Mouse” had a 480 pound TW, it was completely fine. John Davies Spokane WA

I know I've often tended to fall in love too easily, and darn it now I've done it again. Her name is Ollie, and I haven't met her in person yet, but I've been stalking her from my computer. Hoping to meet her in 2024. Thanks to all of you contributing to my delinquency while providing useful information about my target. 🤩

Just be aware that she has definitely been known as quite the elusive target...HA!

Really like air bags on a tow vehicle. Had air bags on our previous 2016 Tundra and currently on our 2003 Tacoma for smaller trailers. Made the Tundra/Ollie rig handle with more stability. Installed Timbren suspension enhancement system on our 2022 Tundra, but still prefer air bags for towing Ollie.

While I'm waiting for my Mystic Grease and tools to arrive for the Zerk maintenance, I forged ahead with the full beauty treatment on my Oliver, using the products that I believe were recommended by @SeaDawg earlier in this thread: Washing: used a Boat Wash that won't strip the existing finish (hand washing with a light spray hose, no pressure washing) Drying: used my favorite tool, "The Absorber" towel (I have one for the outside and one for Oliver's shower walls that I use to dry them down) First Wax: Collinite No. 870 Marine (the liquid all-in-one wash and wax) -- used about a half of one bottle. Second Wax: Collinite No. 885 Heavy Duty FleetWax (the paste in a can) -- used a bit more than half the can. I washed, dried down and did the first coat of wax on day one. Took a day off. Did the second coat of wax on day three. It took me about 6 hours on each of those days, but well worth the time. It's a thing of beauty. My neighbor complained about being blinded. Hahaha

As part of the Oliver Service Department's outstanding responsiveness to issues with its trailers, the Service Department frequently refers Oliver owners far from Hohenwald to RV service centers for warranty service. I wonder if, given the increased sales volume, Oliver is hoping to identify, and develop relationships with, better-operated RV sales and service centers nationwide (and perhaps in Canada?) to help the Oliver Service Department keep up with diagnosis and repair needs? This could result in a short list of qualified RV techs familiar with Oliver's build quality and service standards, who could take some of the load off of Jason Essary and his staff. Surely their workload has grown as production volume has expanded.

Just passing along: Heard back from Rodney Lomax, Sales Manager at factory about a few minor changes to 2024 model year: No big changes as many happened last year. 1) Delete both street side water ports from side of trailer Simplify down to just 2 ports for water. ( These side mounted ports get lots of grime and road abuse. Moving to rear should help.) 2) Move current street side fresh tank fill to left side of rear bumper. (Like the current boondocking port on right (curb) side.) 3) Change right rear boondocking port valves so it is both the regular pressurized input line….and a boondocking port. (In 2024 Only 2 ports for water on rear of trailer) 4) Rework body moulds to remove the inset used for upper fridge vent. New fridges don’t need that vent. The trailer will then be streamlined all the way to the door on the upper hull. 5) The exterior solar port will no longer be standard but will be a dealer option for customers that wish to have it. (Note: Several owners added their own solar ports in the past.) 6) There is a possibility of a bathroom door change but that is still in the R & D phase and may not pan out.

Jason, thank you. My fear is that RV businesses outside Oliver’s complete control might damage the the reputation and brand that you folks have worked so diligently to build. I hope I’m wrong.

@Rivernerd: This isn't the best ever photo of our rig after installing AirLift bags because of the uneven approach onto the apron of the "Cave" - but judging by the front/rear fender/wheel clearance, it looks very close to yours. This is running 25psi in the bags... As reported in an earlier thread, we noticed a reduction in the "porpoising" at slow speeds and an overall better ride (handling-wise) under tow. I'm thinking you'll be liking your airbag mod in the long run... Safe travels - cheers!

FYI: We arrived Pensacola, FL last night for our anniversary week excursion (sans Casablanca) we do every year to a different location. Planned this one eight months ago - the goal is to dive on the USS Oriskany tomorrow. We're quite west of the spaghetti plots but storm surges in the gulf may be an issue.... We'll know more by this afternoon.

Reducing vehicle sag and jouncing reduces stress on the vehicle, trailer and driver. I'm on my second tow vehicle since 2008 and on both my Tacoma and F150, I added an easily installed helper spring, by Roadmaster, which smooths out the ride and limits overall sagging. It can be adjusted during the setup for your particular needs.

I'll be wishing the best for you down there. I'm in touch with my brother who is staying at my place this summer. Hopefully it won't impact anyone as much as last year's Ian the Terrible.

Same to you!

@CRM, as you likely know, we'll be on the surge side of the storm, this time. Take care.

From all of the spaghetti plots I'm seeing it would appear that this storm will be way to the east of us here in Western North Carolina. I'm guessing that we will not even see very much rain (if any) from this thing. Bill

Good luck to you, too. Idalia seems to be quite indecisive in her chosen path. Be careful, folks. Floridians have grown to loathe storms beginning with the letter "I."

What is the number one thing that most RV buyers (not Oliver buyers) complain about? When I was doing my research it was "dealer support". A close second was build quality. Oliver will be a standout if they can overcome the bad dealer experience.

She does have a way about her!😉

Referenced pics in the "for sale ad" have been rotated. Hope it helps with the sale. Bill

Two other major, respected fiberglass manufacturers have relationships with a limited dealer network of their selection-- Bigfoot and Northern Lite. I don't think their resales have been affected, either. I can certainly see the benefit of being able to order and pick up somewhat locally, and especially to get qualified service closer to home than Hohenwald. (It's a 12 to 13 hour drive for us, from Florida. ) Not everyone is able to do all the service and upgrades themselves. And, as Oliver has always tried to be on the leading edge of tech, these trailers, when fully optioned, can be a bit of a learning curve for the "ordinary" rv tech. This is, indeed, a big leap for Oliver. Let's see how it shakes out. I wish them, and future owners, all the best, as I have for the last 15 years.

Mark your calendars, the day this network becomes official indicates the death of an un-matchable independent brand. I hope there are very firm stipulations to prevent price manipulations by the clueless dealer sales droids. If dealers can set prices, it will destroy the stellar resale value of existing Hulls. I have some personal experience with a local “premium” dealer, RnR RV Superstore, I sure hope they are not in the new network ;( They do indeed have a fine glitzy indoor super showroom, they took over a defunct Fred Meyer box store. I guess that would be good for showing an Ollie… Sad times ahead! IMHO of course. John Davies Spokane WA

The proposal to change the channel of distribution to a network of dealers is more than a detail. All of the companies I mentioned also had tremendous histories of quality and brand loyalty. They are also examples of the fragility of brand equity and as you say, how "ridiculous" it would be to demolish decades of work in an instant. I am not knocking anything about Oliver. What I am saying is that it is naive to think that partnering with any entity that is of lower repute, less quality, less competent technical service will not damage this brand. The only question is to what extent, and how quickly the brand will be diminished.

"Just your opinion and I believe you sold your trailer and no longer having a dog in the fight..." To be kind and civil, I'd say your remarks regarding John are insensitive and off base. From at least my perspective, John long ago earned the right to say whatever he wants here for as long as he wants. His list of fixes, his experience and his willingness to help and advise others has made him an invaluable asset to this forum. He would be missed should he withdraw from this forum.

Please put those folks in the big bend area of Florida in your thoughts and prayers. It's a very unusual path for a hurricane, and who knows how many are prepared. I don't remember a hurricane headed for them, ever before.

This. So many stories about shoddy work by dealer-based service centers, including our own experiences. There are lots of good independent service centers and mobile techs that might reflect well on Oliver, but I'm not sure many dealerships can. Their focus is on sales, not service.

Joshua Tree. Highly recommend

Looks pretty similar to the one in your photo!

We are going to DeGray State park tomorrow. The heat has relented so it is time to move around again. https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/degray-lake-resort-state-park We are planning a trip to Maine this year. What is the latest possible date you would advise we visit?

Thanks! We're loading up the Ollie right now just in case we need to make a quick getaway! We live a stones throw from Tampa Bay so the odds of that hsppening are fairly high..

I'd be totally surprised if the original business model "went away", completely. I'd suspect (though I don't know) that the limited, vetted dealer network would simply amplify the great network we have today.

Awesome, and I read the entire link. A business needs to grow or die on the vine. Good for present and future owners! 👍🏻 Patriot🇺🇸

Nice thing is, if you have axle capacity and keep every thing correct, this will offset a little bit of tongue weight. You could theoretically add something like this, add a tongue mounted bike rack as others have done and end up with a net zero in added tongue weight to the tow vehicle. With this basket, I'm using the Oliver tongue basket for heavy items, such as fire wood. I have a WeighSafe hitch so I always monitor my tongue weight when loading. I prefer to be a little on the heavy side up front.

My few experiences with RV dealer-based service centers have not been good. Dealers have a hard time finding and retaining techs, and the techs they have are usually poorly-informed about the details of the various product lines they sell. Just read through any of the forums for SOB trailers and you'll see these types of comments over and over. "I asked the service tech what the red switch does, and he didn't know," "My trailer's been in the shop for 6 weeks now," "I finally got my trailer back and the problem still isn't fixed," etc. In our case, the dealer simply wouldn't return our calls and we ended up taking the trailer back to the factory in Indiana for repairs. Now we only deal with a local/mobile service facility that does NOT sell RVs. If OTT wanted to partner up with RV service centers, fine, but I'd be very wary of any dealership-based service they offered. As for sales, I think a dealer network will effectively cheapen the product, one way or another. To keep the price point the same while still allowing dealer profit would require lowering the manufacturing costs/cutting corners. We've already seen a bit of that to cover the COVID sales crunch: no more customization, no swoosh decals. Two of our previous trailers were from independent manufacturers not based in Elkhart. Slightly better quality than the Indiana trailers and slightly more expensive. Both those companies went under because they couldn't compete side by side with cheaper units on dealer lots. So, service centers? Maybe good. Dealer sales? I don't think so. But,OTT apparently needs to do something different. I hope it works out.

Before I bought Oliver I looked at other trailers that did not have a wide dealer network. They certified service centers across the country and enabled that model to work.. That is a good thing. Another trailer sold through a few select dealers. The story I heard over and over was that every trailer coming was already sold. The manufacturer did not sell direct. Dealers' emphasis is on selling. Dealers view service as an afterthought, or a necessary evil to sell trailers. I can see Oliver wanting to sustain a certain volume during this downturn. Using dealers is certainly the first idea one might have to do that. Dealers will push whatever trailer gives them the greatest margin. Oliver will either languish on dealer lots, get even more expensive with dealer margin tacked on, or Oliver will have to lower the cost to dealers to move units.

I still wash and wax the Oliver and actually do not mind doing it even though I am old and retired. It is easier cleaning and waxing the Ollie than some of the boats I have had that had serious chalking Gelcoat. I use Boat Zoap by Sudbury Co. I started using it when I was washing my boat when it was in the water. It is a non-caustic cleaner and is safe to use when the boat is in fresh or slat water. It is biodegradable. A cap full of soap and a couple of gallons of water in a bucket is the formula. What makes the washing easier is I use and extendable pole with a soft bristle brush on the end. Had it from my boating days and bought it at West Marine. The extendable pole makes scrubbing down the Ollie very easy and gets the Ollie very clean. I can even get the brush under the solar collector. So that is my procedure along with using Maquires Professional wax after washing.

@John Welte: John, I followed @John E Davies's "how to" post describing the procedure to splice into the 4-pin harness which is located in the right/rear of the basement/garage. Access is both through the street-side hatch and aft-most compartment hatch under the street-side bed. You can also refer to my post on "LED Bar Light on Bumper", FYI. Either one will get you smart on connecting to the 4-pin so you can run lights on your bike rack. Have fun!